we are still three days away. nothing is going to happen over the weekend, this is monday night-tuesday we're talking about. he sees some showers popping up around baltimore on sunday. it will be wednesday at the beach and it will be raining. you can see the center of the storm passing offshore, and not coming up the chesapeake bay. it looks like it will pass by maryland and swing back into new jersey on monday night and tuesday morning. not the worst case scenario. if it comes up the bay, that is the worst-case scenario. that does not mean we will miss out on the weather. starting on monday, the rain is going to be very heavy. the heavy rain will stay with us on tuesday. the temperatures will be dropping. it could drop into the 40's. there could be some snow in the mountains. a little bit of good news.

we will talk more about that when i come back in a few minutes. we will send it down to sarah in notion city. >> -- ocean city. >> it it really is a beautiful evening, a lot of people are outside this evening. the water is relatively calm. the biggest concerns they have right now are flooding and beach erosion. they tell me there is an emergency plan in place. officials are watching the storm's track. they're expecting some flooding, so there are high water markers in place. otherwise, they're not many sandbags out. the city is relatively busy. officials are meeting regularly to evaluate the track. >> we are in the beginning stages of making sure that we have lists items put away.

-- loose items put away. just trying to get ahead of things. we are in the prepared this mode, the information of mud. -- mode. >> the mayor is not expecting to see evacuation's this weekend. most of the visitors to ocean city will be leaving by late sunday, sunday afternoon anyway. as far as residents, at that point, they will most likely be asked to stay inside. >> it does not even look like an evacuation city for ocean city. the worst part of the storm is the east side. if ocean city is on the west side, they will get the wind and heavy rain, but not the storm surge. >> we are also monitoring what is going on along the shore in

chesapeake beach. members of last year's hurricane are still fresh. -- memories of last year's hurricane are still fresh. >> people in chesapeake beach ticket vantage of free sand bags from the city today. they also moved their boats from the dock behind me. strong wind and rain and a rising surf are already lashing out on the florida coast. a jet skier caught on the surf needed rescuing. across the caribbean, sandy has left dozens of people dead. models of the storm smashing into the northeast. >> common sense says you should take precautions. this is a potentially dangerous storm. >> emergency workers say anyone from virginia up through new england should get ready now. on long island, new york, we

found people filling up sandbags. in manchester, conn., homeowners were preparing to lose power. >> i would rather spend the money on the generator and know that i have a heat and a refrigerator full of food. >> boaters pulled their vessels out of the water. in maryland, coastal restaurants emptied their patios. sandy is expected to bring high tides and intense waves and coastal flooding. it the downed trees and knocked out power. energy companies are already calling for backup. >> all the utilities have reached out beyond our borders and it could contract in place already from as far away as washington state. >> memories of hurricane irene the left billions in damage to have people determined not to get caught off guard. virginia and maryland the party declared states of emergency. people are being told to prepare

for the worst. >> governor o'malley has already signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in maryland. it gives the state flexibility and calling up the maryland national guard. local jurisdictions have been in planning meetings all day. >> storm preparedness starts at home. this san derrin, for example, is for fell's point residents -- this sand dune, for example, is for fell's point residents. hurricane sandy, the super storm, it has lots of names, but one devastating consequence depending on which path it takes. >> we still do not know what the storm is going to do. we know that it is coming to baltimore county. >> the concern that we have

about this particular event is the duration of it which would continue through thursday. >> the baltimore county emergency operations center opens sunday. emergency equipment have been inspected. officials will provide resident real time of dates 3 twitter -- real-time updates through twitter. baltimore city emergency planners are gone through a similar checklist. >> to see if there's additional outreach that needs to be done. to make sure everything is lined up. >> gov. martin o'malley has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency. >> we have to be prepared for flooding in the tidal areas. we have to make sure our communications equipment is ready. .herever we need to be >> bge crews are marshaling for

action as well. they spent the day stocking their vehicles. >> we want to be able to safely and quickly restore power when and if that happens. >> they have commitments from 500-800 out of state crews. back to the sand, the city has a couple of tons of the sand available at relocations. city residents only and must show id. " baltimore city is providing the sandbags. baltimore county has 200 miles of waterfront. is the counting going to do anything similar? >> the county has about 200 miles of waterways. the executive has said baltimore county is not going to provide sandbags nor will they provide dry ice. >> if evacuation's are necessary, do they have a plan?

>> they have a plan for a lot of things. they had a lengthy press conference today. is baltimore county schools are closed come up school buses will be available for evacuation's if needed. >> david collins, thank you so much. people all over the baltimore area are preparing for the worst. they're stocking up on food, buying back up generators if they can find them. >> people were lined up to buy generators. he sold over 100 generators in four hours this morning. >> we stockpile about 254 storms like this. -- 250 for storms like this. by the end of business on

saturday, i think there will be gone. >> you know what that is like. >> i am pretty sure we will be without power and all that stuff. >> not worried about air conditioning or anything like that, just freezers. >> a data wilson point park, folks were busy pulling out their boats. >> we're going to put it up for storage and avoid the big storm. >> i do not live on the water personally, i ain't got no worries. i feel sorry for the people live on the water. >> in another trailer was backing end. these folks know what a storm surge can do. >> they were stuck to the. last time, on top of the polls. >> and testing to get them off

of the water. >> yes, sir. >> down on middle river, she lives on the water in this beautiful home she rebelled after isabel. -- rebuilt after isabel. >> these have been known to blow across the yard. it scared me to death. these tears are 150 pounds each. -- these chairs are 150 pounds each. >> we are here and you can see behind me people are putting their trailers and the water and getting their boats and getting them out. it has been going on like this all day. a whole bunch of folks are out in the water waiting to load them up. it is best to be safe than sorry.

>> you can track hurricanes stand is movement on our interactive radar -- hurricane sandy's movement on interactive radar on wbaltv.com. >> our team coverage continues due out the hour as we tracked the path of the storm. >> in this communication, that is the police are calling this fix reported sexual assault. -- this week's reported sexual assault. >> an arrest warrant accuses a woman of helping her

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>> claims that a woman was sexually assaulted have turned out to be unfounded. detectives tell us the woman's original story was miss communicated and they want residents to know there is no threat to the campus. earlier this week, a 19-year-old student told police she was leaving the library and was approached from behind by an unknown man. officials had been increasing security patrols all week as a precaution. >> an arrest warrant for the

mother of one of the teenagers who admitted responsibility in the shooting death. >> the warrant accuses her of trying to cover-up the shooting in helping to hide the victim's body. accused -- >> accused of obstructing and injuring a police investigation and being an accessory after the fact. >> every time i think about what they did to her, i cannot help but cry. >> she expressed extreme sadness she and other family members field. the 13-year-old boy shot inside in east baltimore home on march 3 -- the 13-year-old girl was shot inside an east baltimore home. the older boy admitted actually shooting her. the younger is being monitored

by the court. an arrest warrant has been issued for the mother of one of the boys. the warrant accuses her of hiding the ak-4722 caliber rifle that was used in the shooting. the weapon had been removed by the defendant from the basement of the home and put into a 2008 gmc truck. that boyfriend is a baltimore city police officer. the warrant accuses her of helping to hide the body. the defendant helped lift the victim and removed her from the house in an attempt to cover up the crime. >> it lets us know the state's attorney's investigation is continuing. from that point, the family is pleased that things are

continuing. >> she is expected to turn herself in this evening. >> the search is on for whoever shot a cab driver during an attempted robbery in east baltimore. it happened around 8:40 last night. detectives tell us the driver was making a pick up when he was robbed and shot in the torso. two members spotted running from the same. the victim is currently in critical condition. >> your insta-weather-plus forecast -- >> things are going to be pretty quiet for a while. this is a monday-tuesday thing we have been discussing. it is best to prepare ahead of time. 68 at the airport, we have a little bit of cloud cover out there this evening. there is no precipitation, but a little bit of cloud cover.

basically, things are going to be nice and quiet going into saturday. here is the satellite imagery on the storm. it is barely a hurricane right now. it is blocking its way through the bahamas. it does not look like a real hurricane. it has weakened significantly. it is beginning its transition from a tropical system into a nor'easter. this is a complex process. the computer models have had a hard time grabbing on to this to see where it is going. the upper levels are going to look like this on sunday and monday. the storm will come up the coast. the downstream is dipping down like this. you have a cold front coming over to the east coast. the storm is going to grab the cold there and start to rapid around the west side of the system.

where does it go after that that is the big question? i believe it is going to miss the mouth of the chesapeake bay. this is not going to be the worst case scenario. we should still prepare. the way it looks right now, it will pass by to the west of ocean city. ocean city will not get the big storm surge. the storm surge usually happens on the eastern side of the storm. wherever the storm makes landfall, that is where you will get as much as a 10 foot storm surge. plottaken the liberty to several computer models. we're talking about monday night-tuesday morning. the european model, which has become very famous, this is the one that was taking it straight up the chesapeake bay. it was taking it right of the chesapeake bay. as of this morning, everything has shifted to the north.

it is up around new york city. the american model takes to get around boston. the european model takes it down to around ocean city. it is gone to come on shore somewhere in between in central new jersey monday night and tuesday morning. what does that mean? it means it is not the worst case scenario? it is still going to be wind and we will still get a lot of rain. we might even get some personnel. if it passes north of us, it will continue to track to the west of us. we might even get some snow. this is good and bad news. we will not miss the storm, but a boat -- we will not get the worst of it either. the forecast for tomorrow, maybe a little sunshine. a slight chance for a rain

shower in the evening. the high temperatures between 64 and 69 degrees. rain showers will get a little heavier on sunday, 50% chance. the worst of the weather will be on monday and tuesday of next week, especially monday night and tuesday morning. then we will get some heavy rain. it is going to get colder. this is not what you expect with a tropical system. it may very well be snowing in the mountains on tuesday. on halloween, i will be optimistic and say that most of that will be out of here. >> interesting forecast. we will be checking in with tony throughout the hour for the most up-to-date store models. >> we will continue our live team coverage.

>> the focus is still on the ohio. >> and on the economy of, of course. mitt romney and barack obama -- >> we have the latest from washington. >> no republican has ever won the white house without winning ohio. this year's nominees campaigning like he thinks that is still the rule. mitt romney took a break from his ohio marathon and went to iowa. >> we will create 12 million new jobs. we will see rising take-home pay. >> the former governor has improved his poll numbers because more voters dislike him. >> mitt romney used to be upside down in terms of his likability. >> back in ohio, a pretty town

in the key swing state, kathy voted for barack obama in 2008, but decided to switch after she went to see mitt romney. >> i believe his promises. >> the president ended his campaign marathon in ohio last night. he is arguing 2% growth in the third quarter is better than expected. stick with me and my plan, the president urged radio listeners. >> governor romney is economic plans are reverting back to the same policies i inherited that led us to the slowest job growth in 50 years. >> he still leads in ohio by two points. >> if you have the same result five times in ohio, you know he is going to carry ohio. >> if mitt romney takes ohio,

florida, north carolina, virginia, he could win. >> but so could obama. the tiebreaker could be tied -- the tiebreaker could be colorado. in the latest poll, colorado is tied. >> we also want to note if you were planning on voting early this weekend, early voting begins tomorrow, but because we are in a state of emergency, it could be postponed. gov. o'malley says he is monitoring all of the weather activity. we cannot tell you right now how those changes will pan out. >> what could be a really big storm. >> our team coverage kicks off once again at the top of the

half-hour. >> we are live in ocean city where officials are hoping for the best as they're bracing for the worst. incredible opportunity for baltimore. jim smith: question seven will bring table games like... blackjack and poker to baltimore. stephanie rawlings-blake: you're talking about 500 new jobs. ken ulman: and increased tourism will mean more business... for maryland's small businesses. jim smith: and instead of marylanders spending... five hundred and fifty million in other states... ken ulman: question seven will keep that money right here. stephanie rawlings-blake: more jobs, millions for schools. jim smith: i'm voting for question seven. ken ulman: i'm voting for question seven. stephanie rawlings-blake: and i'm voting for question seven.

>> live, local, latebreaking.

>> we have continuing team coverage as the east coast prepares for the effects of hurricane sandy. two dozen deaths have been associated with this storm. here is a live look from the ocean city. precautionary efforts are already under way. the concern is that sandy could combine with a winter cold front and bring about some powerful wind, rain, flooding and a plunge in temperatures. >> it has area schools making plans for the storm. tim, what can you tell us? >> school officials say they're keeping a close watch on sandy.

they will not know until -- about monday glasses until the storm gets here. -- classes until the storm gets here. it was a peaceful scene at the annapolis city dock. there did not appear to be a lot of concern about the approaching storm. that was not the mood at school system headquarters. at least one school building has been set aside for residents who may find themselves in harm's way. >> annapolis high school is going to be open as an emergency shelter beginning sunday. >> even though students will not be around over the weekend, the district expects power outages could affect thousands of pounds of food. >> we will take all of our food supply and move into our freezer so that it can be the frozen for the weekend. >> anne arundel county is head of technology wants to make sure

key information is protected. >> we will be shutting everything down, all of the servers this afternoon so we can protect that. we will leave all four main systems of the night so we can do all of the backups and everything preserved. >> they will be shorted get the word out to parents on the status of the school day by way of the internet and the automated telephone system. that is what we are hearing from another -- a number of other districts. we will find out and pass information along. >> i know you will be on top of it. we're joined by bge spokesperson. their crews have already been not kidding ready. -- your crews have already been out getting ready. >> we are planning for the rest right now.

we expect we will get hammered. the extent of the hammer, who knows? >> are you expecting widespread outages? >> that is what we are concerned about. depending on the flow, we have been saying that it could shed, this could be as bad as irene. those were significant outages. we're making some significant preparations in advance. >> earlier this year, that got willie people so scared. -- that got really people so scared. >> we go after about 1000, but we have double that. we are after 2000 utility workers from out of state. we have a line of sight of about 800 of those. we will keep going after them, but the problem is, the

utilities do not want to release their crews yet. >> there were some problems because of all the damage trying to get out to assess the damage. what are you doing in anticipation of that happening again? >> we will have the same situation. we have crews that are going to be not able to get out there while we have this long duration. we will not even be out there until the storm subsides. restoration not even starting until tuesday or wednesday. >> they do not work after 25 miles per hour. that're getting word maryland utility companies can no longer charge customers during the first 24 hours of a power outage. >> it is a long history behind it.

the commission made its ruling and will understand that. if the commission tells us not to charge, we will not do it. >> i have this feeling, maybe is going to be better? >> there are leaves still on the trees. the good news is you have a lot of those leaves of the trees. you are in that middle ground. hopefully, some of them are weekend, but still had a heavy canopy tree-lined. the biggest thing customers can do, keep that number handy. you will hear a said that over and over again, let us know you are out of service. >> we will be seeing quite a bit of you. thank you for coming in. >> tell the cruise thank you in advance. -- crews thank you in advance.

>> we have a couple of ideas for you. you need to call bge now. you could report tree limbs that could call on -- that could fall on your power lines. turn on your fridge to the maximum coldest setting. you might want to clean any storm drains around your house so the water does not accumulate. should you lose power, call them and let them know. do not assume others in your neighborhood have done that. >> i just cleaned out a storm drain at my house. you can also track hurricanes dandies movement on our

interactive radar -- hurricane sandy's movement on our interactive radar. >> still ahead, authorities uncovered a disturbing plot to torture, cook, and eat women. they trace this back to a new york city cop. >> our team coverage of the path of hurricane sandy continues.

as a pastor, my support for question 6 is rooted in my belief that the government should treat everyone equally. i would not want someone denying my rights based upon their religious views, therefore i should not deny others based upon mine. it's about fairness. this law does not force any church toerform a same sex marriage if it's against their beliefs. and that's what this is about. protecting religious freedom and protecting all marylanders

equally under the law. join me in voting for question 6. >> in new york city police officer accused of plotting to kill and each women is a graduate of the university of maryland. authorities were tipped off to the plan by his ex-wife revealing chilling, inactivity. a trail of e-mails, computer files, and instant messages show that he was taking steps to abduct the victims. he is being held in police custody pending a trial.

a mother is in shock after finding tool for children dead at the hands of someone the family trusted. she came home yesterday evening after taking her three-year-old daughter to a swim lesson. she found her two children stabbed to death in the bathtub. their nanny was bleeding nearby from a self-inflicted wound. her husband was away on business but has been reunited with his wife and surviving daughter. >> if former scoutmaster in north carolina and admits he molested as many as 10 young boys. they were released under a recent court order. he says he was drunk when he had sex with boys when he was in his

mid-twenties. >> that is horrifying. the final economic snapshot of the u.s. economy before the november election. we will take the latest numbers from the commerce department. >> are live team coverage of hurricane sandy continues. we will have another live report from ocean city just ahead.

as a pastor, my support for question 6 is rooted in my belief that the government should treat everyone equally. i would not want someone denying my rights based upon their religious views, therefore i should not deny others based upon mine. it's about fairness. this law does not force any church to perform a same sex marriage if it's against their beliefs. and that's what this is about. protecting religious freedom and protecting all marylanders equally under the law. join me in voting for question 6. >> here is what it's coming up at 6:00. utility crews are preparing for the effects of hurricane sandy. the developments in the murder of a young girl, and other arrest warrant is out.

arrest warrant is out. we will have these stories for i've always been lucky. flew 37 bombing missions over germany. made it home every time. i'm lucky to have good friends who are all still around, and we're all lucky to have a friend named ben. ben's protected our medicare and veterans' benefits. and he's helping my 13 grandchildren afford college. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too. i'm ben cardin, and i'm honored to approve this message. mayor: casino owners in west virginia are spending millions against question seven. that upsets me. and that upsets jonathan ogden. you don't want to upset jonathan ogden. ogden: no you don't. mayor: question seven means thousands of jobs and millions for our schools. but these west virginia casinos want to keep it all for themselves. we're not happy about that. ogden: no we aren't. mayor: so join us and vote for question seven. and west virginia, don't make me send jonathan ogden over there. mayor: vote for question seven. ogden: for baltimore.

>> students at dunbar high school will finally have their home turf at home. you are looking at the new athletic field for the school. state of the art computer labs. this comes just in time for the homecoming football game tonight. that will mark the school's first ever, a night game. that is significant. construction took about five months. >> crews are bracing for the

worst, especially on the eastern shore. sarah is live in ocean city, where hundreds of sand bags are being filled. what else our crew is doing to get ready for this? >> right now, officials are monitoring the storm. they're keeping an eye on the storm's track, trying to figure out how big of a weather event this is going to be. . told that emergency plan is in place. police and fire officials have been put on standby. they are expecting that it could be a long weekend in to the early part of the week. the city has put out some high water signs in case there is some flooding. motorists will not drive through those high waters and hopefully they will avoid any issues. >> you have been checking with some experts as to what people

at home should be doing. >> you want to make sure you clear out all the gutter's. if you are in a low-lying area, the southern part of ocean city is prone to flooding, it out the sandbags and prepare in that way. what officials are telling people to do is to watch the storm. they will be releasing information through facebook and twitter. they're asking people to keep an eye on the track. >> is unlikely that tourists or residents might be asked to evacuate? >> we did talk to the mayor this afternoon and he said that they are not anticipating to have mandatory evacuations. part of the reason is because most of the visitors -- the bulk of the weekend is expected to be nice.

most of the visitors will be gone by that point anyway. residents are expected to be asked to stay inside. that cannot change, as we know. >> -- that can all change, as we know. >> we're talking about monday- tuesday. the problem with this storm is that you are taking a tropical system and turning it into a nor'easter. it is weird. when you think of a hurricane, it is warm, tropical. this one is gone to start dragging in some cold air. the computer models are having a hard time deciding what to do with it. today is looking a little better. i applaud some of those computer models for you. -- i will plot some of those computer models for you. there is no precipitation. late tonight, there could be some fog and a little bit of

drizzle. other than that, it is going to be smooth sailing. there might be some rain starting on sunday. this is the latest satellite imagery of sandy, it is barely a hurricane right now. what is going to happen is that cold there is gone to drag down from the north and sandy is going to come up from the south and they will start to interact. a very complicated transition will start to take place. the mathematics are having a hard time deciding how to handle that. that is why you are seeing so much variability. it is a little better news today and let me plot some of those major computer models. the european model, which has become very famous, was the one yesterday that was taking the storm up the chesapeake bay.

that is the worst-case scenario for us. that would be a huge storm surge up the bay. now most of the computer models are talking about taking the storm further north. even the european model hasn't making landfall up around atlantic city -- has it making landfall up around atlantic city. this one goes all the way up to boston. that does not mean will be affected by the storm. we will still get some very heavy rain. maybe even some snow on the backside of this. the worst part of that storm would miss us in maryland. mostly cloudy tonight, fog developing late, temperatures will drop back into the 50's. if you have something to do tomorrow outside, no big deal. we will see some rain developing on sunday, but it should not be heavy rain.

and then the storm starts to affect us in maryland. heavy rain possible monday and tuesday. look at the high temperature on tuesday, only 48. that is not where you'd expect from a hurricane. there will be some heavy rain combined with wind gusts, there could be some tree damage. for halloween, things will start to taper off. >> we have some breaking news. state police state senate majority leader harry reid has been taken to the hospital after a chain reaction six-vehicle crash. it happened around 1:00 this afternoon. the 72-year-olds condition has not been released. >> the last snapshot of economic

growth in the united states before americans choose a president. officials report a slight pickup in growth, but they say still too weak to boost hiring. this is getting a picture that has been familiar all year. the economy is growing at a tepid rate. when it comes to consumer spending, we may not be seeing much growth. this year, the diehard shopper holiday will start to fade. and you pull 40% of shoppers started their holiday shoppers -- shopping weeks ago. that is due to more deals been offered earlier and because people are changing the way they spend. >> i think it is one day that people go shopping, the people

are much more savvy about getting deals. >> another prediction that half of the shoppers say they expect to increase their spending this year by $250. >> he has been the familiar and comforting voice that thousands of people wake up to every morning. but he is walking away from the microphone. >> only some are retiring, but they still have me on the hook. >> we want to keep you on the hook for a while. he is stepping down. it is not the last time he will be part of the family. he will be a part-time post during the holidays.

he will no longer be the man who we hear every morning. dave, one of my favorites. preparing for the perfect storm across the east coast, all eyes on her cane sandy. our live coverage continues -- on her cane and sandy. our live coverage continues. we're also monitoring the latest weather models. >> area giant stores participating in the 17th annual ravens family food drive.

i've always been lucky. flew 37 bombing missions over germany.

made it home every time. i'm lucky to have good friends who are all still around, and we're all lucky to have a friend named ben. ben's protected our medicare and veterans' benefits. and he's helping my 13 grandchildren afford college. he's my friend, ben. i hope he's your friend, too. i'm ben cardin, and i'm honored to approve this message.

>> the organization is gearing up for a major event next week. it is the start of the ravens food and family fund drive. >> this is the time of year when the food bank sees a drop in donations. they rely on food drives by the partnership between the giant and the baltimore raven spirit the baltimore ravens are sure to be ravenous for a win, but they want to make sure nobody goes

hungry. they're teaming up with a giant, selecting food and donations for the maryland food bank. >> we raised over $30,000.20000 tons of food. it was beneficial to our community. >> the food banks have been facing a lot of demand. it is really important that all of our neighbors come out. >> starting wednesday, you will find collection cards like this ad giant locations. >> we have great sale items -- >> you can give money, too. >> we have set a goal of collecting over $300,000. customers have the option of making a one or three or $5 donation. every time they make a $5 donation, they received a ravens tail gate bag.

>> you can go online and hoenig through the ravens virtual food drive. -- you can go online and donate to the ravens virtual food drive. >> on november 11, we will of players' and coaches' wives and significant others embalms out there with buckets collecting monetary -- and moms out there with buckets collecting monetary donations. >> that is off for us at 5:00. >> sandy is still a hurricane, but it will transition into a nor'easter. >> a lot of folks are going to be ready. >> police accuse of the amount of helping to cover up the of helping to cover up the shooting death of a 13-